Project Overview

On October 15, 2007, Freeholder James F. Lacey announced the official opening of the Barnegat Branch Trail (BBT), Ocean County’s premier regional, multi-use rail-to-trail park.

• The BBT is a 15.6-mile linear “rail-to-trail” project that will extend from Barnegat Township to Toms River Township. The public trail, which lies primarily along the abandoned Barnegat Branch Division of the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), and including 2.0 miles of existing trail and proposed road and sidewalk connections, will be developed and constructed in several phases.
• Guiding the design and management of the trail is the Conceptual Plan for the Barnegat Branch Trail, which was released in August 2007 by Freeholder James F. Lacey. The Conceptual Plan was coordinated by the Planning Department and authored by prime consultants Strauss & Associates/Planners with support from subconsultants Melillo & Bauer Associates/Landscape Architects.
• The 2011 project team includes: Strauss and Associates/Planners and Buchart Horn Landscape Architects, and the Ocean County Departments of Planning, Engineering, Parks and Recreation, as well as the County’s Cultural and Heritage Commission.

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• To date, Phases I, II and III of the trail, totaling 5.1 miles (3.1 contiguous) in Barnegat, Ocean and Berkeley Townships, are complete and receiving high ridership. Included along these phases are several designated parking areas, improved road crossings, landscaping, benches, signage, mile markers and linkages to other trails and parks.
• Design for a small trailhead facility at Country Lane, Waretown was finalized and construction documents are pending. This facility will include restrooms and a display area highlighting the historic Waretown Station.
• Construction of Phase IV, which will span 1.5 miles from Route 532 in Waretown to the Lacey Township border, is currently being planned and engineered. Coordination with town officials and engineers is on-going in order to construct this phase, which is anticipated to be let for construction bid during summer 2011. Construction of this phase will mark 4.6 contiguous miles of trail with complete spans through Barnegat and Ocean Townships.
  

• The project was recently awarded $350,000 from NJDOT under the 2011 Local Bikeway Program for construction of Phase V. Phase V, contiguous of Phase VI and spanning from Oyster Creek to Lacey Road in Lacey Township, has been identified as the next most feasible construction segment, and it is anticipated this phase will be ready for construction during summer 2012.
• Under the FHA/DEP’s 2008 Recreational Trails Program, interpretive signage to be placed throughout Phases I and II of the trail has been designed and purchased. The signs include the history of the railroad, the history of the towns the trail traverses and identification of environmental features along the trail. Installation of these signs will occur during spring 2011.

The BBT team has recently directed efforts to develop a Cedar Creek Greenway Comprehensive Plan. This involves coordination between Lacey and Berkeley Township officials and the County to create a multi-use recreational area at the trail’s crossing with Cedar Creek.

• The project team has also developed and designed a trailhead facility at the southern trail node in Barnegat. The site would have designated parking, outdoor seating areas, water fountains, and benches, as well as restrooms and a public meeting space/community room. Construction of this facility is pending the project budget and a use agreement for the site with Barnegat Township.
• It is the County’s vision that the BBT will be more than a recreational park; rather, when complete, it will be a vital transportation corridor, as well as a valuable environmental and historical resource and an enormous asset to Ocean County residents and visitors alike.

The Barnegat Branch Trail logo was intently designed with history in mind: Lady Liberty’s silhouette is reminiscent of the Central Railroad of NJ (CNJ) logo, adopted by the railroad in 1944 to reflect the close proximity of the CNJ terminal in Jersey City to the Statue of Liberty. The BBT logo also includes a ghost locomotive, as well as Ocean County’s most recognizable environmental features.

HAPPY AND SAFE WALKING & RIDING!